Have you gotten a photo on canvas yet?

The other day I had the dishwasher repairman in my house and he saw my Nikon sitting out.  It turns out he was interested in photography and had a two year old granddaughter that was his primary target subject… so we had a couple of things in common! I got to see some of his photos in the typical wallet folio (there’s nothing like grandparent pride) and he asked to see some of Owen, who was napping at the time.  You know what I grabbed?  A photo canvas that was sitting on my mantel.  And you know what else?  He had no idea you could do that!!

Whaaa?? 

Surely by now everyone knows how popular and fabulous canvas photo prints are, right?? Well, apparently not!

So I am here to tell you about how EASY and inexpensive this home photography display can be.  Check out the canvas I got from EasyCanvasPrints.com:

canvas1
canvas2

I love this photo of Owen.  It isn’t the best photo, technically, but how can you argue with that smile and that sunlight?  East Canvas Prints transformed my photo into this 11” x 14” canvas and all *I* had to do was upload the photo and click, click, click… done! 

Some of the reasons I prefer Easy Canvas Prints:
      - reasonable prices and shipping!
      - you can choose a custom size
      - and my favorite reason: there are several sizes and options for the “wrap”.  Most canvas printers make it so that you lose a pretty wide frame around your photo for the wrapping but Easy Canvas Prints has the option to “mirror” your print on the edges so you don’t lose anything!  You can also choose a color for the wrap.  Options! LOVE them!

So if you haven’t done one of these yet (or if you have and you just want some great options!) go check them out and create some super inexpensive wall art that you will love for years. 

Random: Part 2

As promised, here is day two of my reveal at A Cherry On Top featuring the Random collection from Crate Paper.  And I think I‘ve saved the best for last!  Today’s projects were my personal picks from the work I did using this line. 

I Fall For You

I-Fall-For-You

I-Fall-detail1

I-Fall-detail2

I really just can’t get enough yellow and paired with the deep blues it makes a great color combination for my little guy.  I put my craft mat under the yellow paper and sanded the edge to create the white line frame.  And a little burlap makes everything a bit more autumnal!

Home Shadow Box

Random-Home-Shadow-Box

Random-Shadow-Box-detail1

Random-Shadow-Box-detail2

Random-Shadow-Box-detail3

I've been holding on to this Maya Road shadow box for a while now and waiting for just the right paper line.  BINGO!  There is something both complicated and freeing about using this many colors and I will admit that halfway through it I thought I may have gotten myself in too deep! But in the end it came together and I love, love, love it!! Each little square showcases some Random goodness.

So that’s Random.  I am already having “issues” because I’ve used up too many of these killer papers and I clearly NEED to get more. Winking smile

Random: Part 1

This month’s assignment at A Cherry On Top was Crate Paper’s Random collection.  I 110% LOVE this line and I really have only praise for this funky release.  It's the very definition of cool and has something for everyone.  While it actually IS seemingly pretty random there is a collective vibe to it that somehow makes Crate Paper's designs work together.  And I simply cannot get enough of it!

First up…

Playing Grown Up

Playing-Grown-Up

Playing-Grown-Up-detail1

Playing-Grown-Up-detail2

PINK! I got to play with pink! I love that Random is a super mix between feminine, masculine, and neutral elements.  Swoon! On another note: I can’t seem to stop using twine on *everything*! Is anyone else with me here??

Happy Times

Happy-Times

Happy-Times-detail1

Happy-Times-detail2

Ok, I have to confess something.  I probably ripped this page up and pulled things apart seven or eight times before ending up with this. I have a tendency to choose a few colors and some neutrals from my photo and pick out the papers and embellishments that go with those color choices.  But I really wanted to keep Random’s integrity on this page and use the full gamut of colors.  It kinda kicked my butt for a while!  But I think I won the war.  Winking smile

More from Random tomorrow!  Or go on over to A Cherry On Top to see the rest of what I did. 

Thanks for popping by!

My DIY Wood Photography Board

Hey everyone!

I’ve had a few questions about the wood photography board you’ve been seeing in my posts lately:

Woodgrain-Hi-Baby  Honeybee-Hello

Yes, I made it myself (using the tutorial at Love & Olive Oil) and yes, my board is double sided!  I really only wanted to have one board to store so I stained one side dark brown and painted the other white.  The key is to use very thin “craft boards” from your local home improvement store so that you don’t end up with a super thick and heavy board to haul around.

For a 24” x 24'” board you’ll need:

- four 3.5” x 24” craft boards
- six 5.5” x 24” craft boards
- wood glue
- paint and/or stain in the colors you prefer
- Elmer’s glue (optional)
- Distress/Crackle paint to match your other paint (optional)
- newspapers/drop cloth, brushes, and rags

Paint

I used Valspar sample paints because you just don’t need much for this project.  The white was a generic white and the brown is called “Fired Earth”.

The process is simple.  Lay your boards down on your newspaper/drop cloth with the two smaller (3.5”) boards on the outside and the larger (5.5”) in the middle, with a slight gap between them. 

Using a small amount of wood glue lay the next layer of boards over the first one in the opposite direction.  So if your bottom layer is horizontal your top layer is vertical. 

Now carefully (so the boards don’t shift) place a whole ton of heavy shtuff on top of your “sandwich” and leave it there for a few hours to dry.

Then you paint!

I highly recommend waiting for one side to dry FULLY before attempting the other side.  Don’t ask me why I am emphasizing this.  Errr.

The brown side was super easy.  I watered down my paint to about a 50/50 mix and painted it on with a brush.  I then immediately used a rag to wipe off most of the paint so it acted more like a stain.  I did one board at a time and applied two coats to get the finished look. Easy!

dark-side

dark-side-close

The white side was a bit more of an “issue”.  But mostly because I was experimenting.  I attempted to crackle the paint with only Elmer’s glue and it just didn’t do the trick enough for me.  That’s when I used an entire container of Tim Holtz crackle paint.  Heh.  Hehehe. Yeah.

Start by adding one coat of the brown stain like we did for the other side.  This makes it so you see dark color in the cracks.  You really could use any color for the undercoat. 

You’ll see in my next photo what different results you can get from the Elmer’s crackling and the crackle paint crackling.  I did the Elmer’s first.  Drizzle a fair amount of glue on to the board and spread it around with your brush.  You really do want it to be a pretty heavy coating.  Then, paint on an equally heavy amount of white paint right on top of the glue while it is still wet.  Now you can either just let it air dry and wait for the magic crackling to happen OR you can be super impatient like me and grab your handy dandy heat gun and speed up the process.  Just remember to keep your heat gun moving!

At this point you should have long, thin cracks in your paint, with the dark undercoat showing through.

If you want MORE crackle you can paint the specific crackle paint in the areas that need it.  Try to be a little random with your application. The crackle paint gives you a finer, mosaic-like look. 

I also used various tools and some sandpaper to rough up a few areas that looked wonky at the end.

crackle-detail

white-side

**Be careful with your paint application.  You don’t want to have much paint seep into the cracks between the boards because it may show on the opposite side.  Again, please don’t ask why I know this! HA!**

And there you have it!  The finished photography board is only 1/2” thick.  It can be stored alongside a piece of furniture or even under your couch.  It’s inexpensive and makes an excellent background for papercrafting projects, general craftiness, or really, really tiny people.  Ok, just kidding on that last one. 

Thanks for reading!

PI Blog Hop Winner!

Thanks to everyone for hopping along with Paper Issues this past weekend!  We had a great turnout and I know *I* was blown away by the featured projects.

Of course, we need a winner for the SEI prize pack.  With the help of Random.org we get:

LyndaKay!!!

Congrats!  Please use the contact link over on the right to send me an email with your address and I will pop your prize in the mail! Smile

Are You Here for the Hop?

If you aren’t, well, I am sucking you in right now!  Smile

We’re hoppin’ around the Paper Issues Creative Team today for some killer scrapbook pages, cards, and altered projects.  You can follow one path or all three (pages, cards, altered projects) but I *highly* recommend hitting up as many as you can because there are some fabulous projects and super generous RAKs out there. 

I am the last blogger in the card category and if you haven’t found me via another PI blogger make sure you hit up the Paper Issues blog for the full list of designers to visit!

The latest theme (starting today!) is “Tree Hugger”… so my card today features some wood grain embossing, natural jute twine, and wood letters. 

Woodgrain-Hi-Baby
Woodgrain-Hi-Baby-detail1
Woodgrain-Hi-Baby-detail2
I’m kind of loving this wood grain embossing folder right now!

But don’t leave me yet!  I have a little RAK for one of you in the continental US… a whole mess of SEI Holiday Cheer.  Whatcha gotta do?  Simple.
      - For one entry: just leave me a comment
      - For a second entry: become a follower of my blog and let me know you’ve joined
         (if you’re already a follower let me know that too!)
One winner (chosen on Monday) will get all of this:

Jess Mutty RAK
But wait, there’s more!  Call now and you will also get a set of Ginsu knives!

Ok, not really.

But there actually IS more.  As a special blog hop bonus the Paper Issues store is doling out a killer coupon code! Use code HOP25 for an extra 25% off anything in the store.  Huzzah!

Thanks for hopping along with me… but don’t forget to check out Paper Issues for links to everyone!

I’ve Got Issues!

Some of you may have already noticed the new badge over there in my side bar.  Yup, I officially have ISSUES!  Paper Issues, that is!If you haven’t heard about Paper Issues yet you are in for some fun.  Paper Issues is a super cool blog where you can see some incredible inspiration not only from the DT but from scrappers like you ALL over the web.  There are regular themes posted to jump start your mojo and we LOVE to see you post your work and maybe even get featured. 

As if that wasn’t cool enough, there’s also a killer Etsy shop where you can load up on goodies.  Score!

So keep your eyes peeled for more fun from me and Paper Issues… like the blog hop coming up at the end of this week with RAKS and projects galore.

September 4 x 4

Welcome to another edition of the 4 x 4 challenge!

“The Rules”:
- We must use the same four products: two papers and two embellishments.
- We can only use one of each sheet of paper.
- We can use unlimited basics (card stock, ribbon, alphas, mists, etc.) as long as the four main products are the focus.- We cannot share our finished pages with each other until we are all done so that we do not influence each others’ design choices.

This month we are working with Simple Stories and Cosmo Cricket papers and embellishments from Webster’s Pages and My Mind’s Eye:

simple stories cosmo websters mme

Here’s my take on the products this month.  I really loved the circle paper and punched those bad boys out… if only it was easier to sew tight circles on a 12x12 paper with a sewing machine! 

Thoughtful thoughtful-detail1

thoughtful-detail2

You’ll definitely want to check out with this month’s other players did with these products.  See Chrissy’s and Meg’s takes on their blogs and of course you’ll want to visit  Carrie who is hosting this month’s contest and prize!

Join Me for “Kit Couture”!

A femme fatale would never leave her haughty home in ill fitting fashion. On the contrary, every time she strikes an iconic pose her ensemble is hand picked to accentuate each positive feature. Similarly, a chic crafter hopes that every kit she purchases will suit her paper personality perfectly, but we all know that every now and again we open a box which shrieks “not me!” In “Kit Couture,” Jess Mutty teaches essential tailoring skills that make every kit a perfect fit. In 4 easy-to-follow videos, Jess will teach you to dissect and sort a kit’s contents to identify themes, hidden gems and customizable items. In this 101 class you’ll watch a generic kit transform into three distinct styles; simple, vintage and contemporary. “Kit Couture” begins salvaging awkward acquisitions on 9/20/11.

You can follow along with me in this class using the “Amelia’s Solo” kit from Miss Art’s Papercrafting School:

2011-08-01

The “Kit Couture” fun begins September 20th… be there or be square!

I’m Tickled PINK!

I have been waiting for months for this day.  Today I can finally share with you my Guest Designer projects for Pink Paislee!

I had an absolute blast working with the Mistables line and recently had to buy more… that’s how much I love these products. 

My favorite project was front and center in their CHA booth in July:

Family Frame

Family detail1

I also created some layouts for them, including this one that really shows
what can be done with the Mistables paper. 

You Color My World

And a card too!

Bird Hello

To see the rest of my projects and more details please check out the Pink Paislee blog. It was a dream to guest for them… and they know just how much I adore them!  Thanks, Pink Paislee!